(Guangzhou, Guangdong Province – February 12, 2024) On January 21, the Sunday service of Guangzhou Bible Reformed Church in the branch in Xinhui District, Jiangmen City, was raided by the police. Pastor Chen Zuopeng and three other believers were taken away by the police, and there has been no news since. This is the second time this church has faced such disruption since the beginning of this year. On the previous Sunday, January 7, the Dashishi branch of the church was also raided during a prayer and dinner gathering at a farm in Shunde District, Foshan City, by a joint operation involving local special police, Shunde auxiliary police, national security agents, religious affairs bureau, and community management office.
Guangzhou Bible Reformed Church is a family church that adheres to the principles of Reformed church. The church refuses to join Three-Self church and Pastor Huang Xiaoning is a locally renowned house church pastor. Since the implementation of the new “Regulations on Religious Affairs” in 2018, the Sunday gatherings of this church have been forcefully disrupted by the police on multiple occasions. Pastor Huang Xiaoning has been repeatedly “invited for tea” and detained. In 2023 alone, multiple branches of the church have been repeatedly raided.
On the morning of May 7, 2023, five branches of the church’s six branches, Dashi, Shiqiao, Yuexiu, Baiyun, and Jiangmen, were simultaneously raided. Elders, preachers, and co-workers from these five branches were taken away by police.
On June 4, 2023, the Sunday worship of the church was once again disrupted. Plainclothes police officers entered the hotel meeting room rented by the church for Sunday service, and interrupted the Sunday worship. They deemed the church gathering in the hotel as illegal, demanded registration of church members’ identity information, and expelled everyone from the hotel.
On the evening of June 21, 2023, Pastor Huang Xiaoning’s power supply was cut off, and the door keyhole was blocked. Other co-workers were also monitored and harassed.
On June 24, 2023, while the church members were gathering for a meal, the property management staff and security guards suddenly knocked on the door, demanding entry for inspection. The property management staff claimed to have received a report alleging illegal activities. The property management staff and security guards were very rude. Despite protests from the Christians, they attempted to forcibly enter the premise while recording videos. They also demanded to see the rental contract. When church members tried to leave the premise by car after the gathering, they were forcibly stopped by the property management staff and auxiliary police at the community gate. The auxiliary police closed the main gate, seized the electric bikes of the church members, and prevented them from leaving.
On June 26, 2023, Pastor Huang Xiaoning was summoned for a meeting with four officials from the Religious Affairs Bureau and Politics and Law Committee of Panyu District. They inquired about the church’s donations, demanded that Pastor Huang Xiaoning move away from Panyu District, and attempted to entice him to join the Three-Self Church. The officials informed him that a special task force had been established targeting Guangzhou Bible Reformed Church.
On August 24, 2023, Panyu District Civil Affairs Bureau issued a notice to ban Guangzhou Bible Reformed Church, declaring the unregistered house church “Guangzhou Bible Reformed Church” as an illegal social organization.
In the face of enticement and coercion, Pastor Huang Xiaoning’s stance remains unchanged: know your beliefs, take action on what should be done, and live life as usual until something extreme happens.
